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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| One month after U.S. pledge, Syrian rebels in worse shape |
| 2013-07-14 |
| A month after the Obama administration pledged stepped-up support for Syria's armed opposition, the government of President Bashar Assad's position has improved, with U.S. assistance to the rebels apparently stalled and deadly rifts opening among the forces battling to topple the Assad regime. Government forces appear close to forcing rebels from the key city of Homs after a 10-day offensive, while an al Qaida-linked rebel group on Thursday assassinated a top commander from the more moderate, Western-backed Supreme Military Council, signaling what one British newspaper dubbed a "civil war within a civil war." The biggest reversals, however, came inside Syria, where areas once solidly under rebel control have begun to slip away. That has cut into the opposition's ability to provide aid to hungry, besieged communities -- a key part of a strategy to prove it could govern Syria, should Assad fall. n the United States, political and logistical snags are preventing the distribution of promised military aid, while in Turkey, the exiled civilian Syrian Opposition Coalition remains mired in organizational turmoil. Increased military assistance that the Obama administration promised in mid-June after it determined that the Assad government had used chemical weapons has stalled because Congress is divided over whether and how to arm the rebels. That program was to be handled by the CIA, but Congress' intelligence committees have yet to approve the program. On Friday, members' offices declined to discuss the program. A review of recent statements by members of both the House and the Senate committees found a mix of opinions. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said last month that he would've favored sending weapons long ago to ensure that vetted, moderate rebels were "the best armed, best equipped and best trained," while the committee's chairwoman, Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., last month seemed to favor United Nations action over U.S. action, calling on the Security Council to "finally take strong and meaningful action to end this crisis in Syria." In the House of Representatives, tea party members have joined forces with some Democrats to introduce legislation that would forbid the Obama administration from sending arms to Syria without the approval of Congress. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., said sending weapons to the opposition would be tantamount to "arming and aiding extremist groups who seek to defeat us and our way of life." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined Friday to comment on the status of the aid programs. She said only that the administration had "taken steps" on that front, and that the U.S. was concerned about the Syrian military's sieges on Homs and other areas. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 See also DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > [Reuters] SYRIA REBELS SAY THEY HAVE GIVEN UP ON US WEAPONS PROMISES. Winner/Advantage: AL-QAEDA + TALIBAN, ETC. FOREIGN MILITANT GROUPS whom many in the FSA = anti-Assad opposition will now rely + turn to for Arms, $$$ in lieu of the Bammer = USA. Speaking of which ... * TOPIX > ISLAMIC MILITANTS STREAM OUT OF PAKISTAN IN GROWING NUMBERS TO FIGHT IN SYRIA. * SAME > PAKISTANI TALIBAN FIGHTERS JOIN SYRIA REBELS IN FIGHT AGZ ASSAD. * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > VIDEO: SAUDI MUJAHIDIN JOIN FELLOW SUNNIS IN SYRIA FIGHT. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2013-07-14 23:01 |
| #1 The Obama dither. Dick Cheney had this boy pegged right off. |
| Posted by: Dale 2013-07-14 13:38 |